Play chess online against your friends and a global community of chess players.
Play Chess Online
Not only a great platform for online chess, but a large and active chess community.
Est. 2001
What is beta.redhotpawn.com?
Daily Chess
Rather than complete a game in one session, play chess at your own pace by playing our correspondence style game. Receive optional move notifications by email.
A Chess Community
Leaderboards, ladders, chess clubs, public forums, blogs and private messaging - there are multiple ways you can learn, interact and compete with other players.
Team Play
Join a chess 'clan' and challenge rival clans in competitive team matches to battle for position in the clan leaderboard.
Chess Tournaments
Compete in open tournaments or tournaments banded by rating. Or join a club to play tournaments exclusively for club members.
And More...
Play live chess, with variant support. Or practice unrated games against an AI. Study openings, puzzles or the vast games explorer to improve your game.
Some features are not available to standard members
Designed for your computer
Play chess from your browser with optional email notifications. No boards to set up, no pieces to lose, just start a game and play chess. We record every move, and you can return to your game whenever it's convenient.
Nothing to install, just play in your browser
Get the App
For the best mobile experience, download the Red Hot Pawn Chess app. The apps provide a faster, enhanced experience whilst using limited mobile data. Receive near realtime notifications when it is your turn to move.
Every site feature available in the palm of your hand.
When I complete games, will I have a rating?
After joining each player has a provisional rating until 20 rated games have been completed. Once your rating is established your rating will update as rated games are completed. Rating calculation details can be found in the site FAQ.